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Pharmacists Protest Nafdac Dg's Appointment - Politics - Nairaland

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Pharmacists Protest Nafdac Dg's Appointment by nwosas(m): 6:17am On Jan 14, 2009
Pharmacists under the aegis of the Lagos State Branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) have raised dust over appointment of Dr. Paul Orhii as Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and have called on President Umaru Yar'Adua to immediately reverse the appointment. Making the call in Lagos yesterday, the body threatened to go to court if their call is not heeded within seven days. At a joint press conference addressed by the incumbent Chairman of the Lagos PSN, Pharm. Lanre Familusi and two past Chairmen of the Aassociation, Pharm. Olumide Akintayo and Pharm. Bola Oyawole in Lagos, the trio alleged that Orhii, a neuro-pharmacologist and lawyer, was not qualified as a pharmacist as required by law, hence they described his appointment as NAFDAC Director General to be illegal and a breach of existing Acts of parliament.
Quoting Section 9 (1) of Decree 15 of 1993 (as amended) which deals with the appointment of officers who are to serve with the Agency, they said it provides that the president of the country shall appoint a person who has a good knowledge of pharmacy, drugs and food as director general of NAFDAC on the recommendation of the minister but noted that, unfortunately the newly appointed Director General is a practising lawyer".
"We believe that since the Yar'Adua Administration professes the rule of law as it s guiding philosophy, then the honourable minister of health would have recommended the nominees for the exalted office to the president."
Records at the Pharmacists Council of Nigeria shows that Dr. Paul Orhii is a neuro-pharmacologist and lawyer. If this is the situation, it is our strong conviction that Dr. Orhii has not fulfilled the condition precedent in section 9 (1) of decree 15 of 1993. Dr Orhii has never worked in Nigeria and in fact reports reveal he has been practising law in et last three years.
They claimed that PSN decided to protest the appointment because the nominee cannot be said to have good knowledge of pharmacy, drugs and food.
Alleging that government appears to be dealing systematically to bring down notable agencies in this dispensation, they said, "Dr Orhii as it is today cannot meet the provisions of section 5 and 6 of Cap 535 LFN 1990 which designates only pharmacists as pharmaceutical inspectors of food.
The group further alleged that his appointment would jeopardised the efforts of immediate past Director General of NAFDAC, Prof. Dora Akunyili in fighting the menace of fake drugs in the country. "We totally reject his appointment as he is not qualified".
Stressing that by law, the position of the Director General of NAFDAC remains the birth right of pharmacists, they pointed out that the newly appointed Director General was not a pharmacist as his name could not be found in the gazetted list of pharmacists in Nigeria.
Describing the action of the president as misleading, they queried "How will a non -pharmacist regulate the pharmaceutical industry, a purely professional endavour for which he is not trained?
"It amounts to a climax of the absurd that a non - pharmacist be charged to regulate and control the sale, importation, manufacture, distribution of drugs, chemicals and such items".

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